Wetplate Insanity.

[ThehosGendar]

A little bit of alternate history to start this off...

Say it's 1863, and the fabric of the space-time continuum ripped apart just as Gardner, O'Sullivan, Barnard, et al, were on their way to photograph a battlefield. A vortex appears, which sucks them and all of their equipment up, and deposits them at the 2007 Richmond County Fair on Staten Island without spilling a drop of collodion or breaking a single glass plate. With nothing else better to do, they set up shop and start taking images. What, oh, what dear reader would they see?

Behold!

Now, the truth...

Annie and I and her father (my father-in-law-to-be) set up a tinsmithing/photography/white coopering display at the Richmond County Fair this weekend, which happens at Historic Richmondtown, where Annie works, and her father and I volunteer often. Richmondtown likes to have its staff try to interpret something to sort of counteract the face painting, dance shows, axe throwing, and all associated with the fair, which is a noble effort, but usually leaves us all depressed and with a really bad headache.

With a box full of glass plates and collodion which was going to go bad in another two weeks anyway, I set out around the fair to take the stupidest possible pictures I could (in addition to a few good portraits of Annie and us all). But, mainly, it was going to be impossible to take good, historic images of the buildings at Richmondtown, and since the collodion was going to go bad anyway, I decided to use it up.

Below are some of the results.

If you want a full-sized copy of the stereos to print out and try with a viewer, PM me or something, and I'll e-mail them to you.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Jason,

They are superb. I shared them with several associates and needless to say they are very impressed. It has reinforced their enthusiasm in an upcoming project.

[Spinster]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Giggle:D

And so much more entertaining than the giant boxed set of 100 stereo images of the inside of the Sears Roebuck mail order operations that I have gathering dust in my bookcase--can't take them out to events either, as they are 35 years too late.

I don't know why you didn't get us an close up individual image of a funnel cake though ;). I can think of a lot uses for that in the hands of a Photoshop artist.

[ThehosGendar]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Garrison - Thanks! Can't wait for it!

Mrs. Lawson - I was so overwhelmed with food choices, I didn't know what would be the best for a still life. Being Staten Island, there was more incredible Italian food than you could shake a stick at, but I ended up on settling on a hot dog and fries for lunch on Saturday. The pasta filetto Annie and I had on Sunday was alot less photogenic, and the lighting wasn't as dramatic for an image of that.

[JKfifer119]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

My goodness...one can just taste the ketchup

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

I didn't know what would be the best for a still life. .

The picture was great. As a researcher who looks for examples for color comparisons in wet plate photographs, the reds on the Coke can and the ketcup and the yellow of the fries, all photographing dark, back up what I've been seeing in other photographs.

Thank you for sharing.

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Wow, good lunch..............

I bet that was a nice reward after the photograph. Should have bought a beer.....

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Excuse me if this is too obvious...has anyone ever photographed original uniforms, etc. with wet plate technology in known lighting conditions with a modern image taken at the same time for color comparison?

Side note: Can you imagine the hilarious confusion in a hundred years if those plates get mixed up with originals? Hehehe..."That Coke can is farby. Look at that contest ad. The originals couldn't have had those!"

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Jason,

I'd dress like Capt. Crunch for a week just to see your still-life on the AC's homepage next April 1st. Just for that 24 hours.

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

I must confess, if you have an appreciation for the wet-plate process than you can find "good art" regardless of the time period.

A couple of years back, I did a project for my Photography class in high school on Wet Collodion. After scowering through tons of info, I can across artist Quinn Jacboson (the link to his website below):

http://www.collodion.com/

One of my favourites of modern photographs has to be his "Raspberry & Miranda"
1/4 plate ambrotype taken on January 2, 2004.

Mark Zimmerman's fish has to be my second (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zmanphoto/130534824/).

Check them out! Oh, the second attachment is my vision of Jsn. at work during the Fair he attended. :p

[ThehosGendar]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Brian,

I would sooooo take a stereo of you in a Cap'n Crunch uniform. In fact, this gives me an idea. We should do a book of wetplate stereos of the players on the C/P/H side of the hobby all in incongruous moments wearing their kit. You know, like waiting on line for the funnel cake, lightsabre duels, modeling off farb kit... Kind of a collective mental breakdown caught on glass.

Jason,

Actually, below is more like what it was like! And the fish rules. I need to take more stupid images to keep sane.

[Jeff Prechtel]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Jason-

Would you mind if I showed your wet plate work to several of
my fellow creatives here in the office? They were very interested
in the idea of wetplate photography and modern elements.

Really nice work by the way, the midway shot of the ride was great!

[Drygoods]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

I would sooooo take a stereo of you in a Cap'n Crunch uniform. In fact, this gives me an idea.

Uh oh, I fear Emperor Norton is not far behind you, and on his way!:D

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

Jason,

Better yet....how about a wetplate of me as Napoleon Bonaparte, ala Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, right after Napoleon ate the Ziggy Pig sundae. Coincidentally, this is my Halloween costume this year. We should try to make the proper arrangements.

[NoahBriggs]

Re: Wetplate Insanity.

You know, like waiting on line for the funnel cake, lightsabre duels,

You know, I've always wanted to do the "League of Extraordinary Jedi", with members of the Hardtack Society.

I think a wet plate series showing camp scenes with farby stuff hanging out ought to be done. A humorous way of reminding ourselves how easy it is to leave the plastic by the fire, Coke cans on the table during the battle planning, &c. Once people see how stupid they look on the other side of the lens there might be more diligence about policing camps before spectators arrive.

I cannot think of a catchy title. I used to have a mix tape called [19]80s Classics: Kids! Can You Spot the Farby Song? And yes, there was one song on there which was deliberately '90s. Camp Scenes: Can you Spot The Anachronisms!

Pre-caffeine rambling.